Malloy Orders Review Of Summer Hiring At State Agencies

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's chief of staff directed a top state commissioner Wednesday to lead a review of hiring practices for summer employees — many of whom, it's been disclosed, are the sons and daughters of full-time state officials.

"As you know, the Governor was extremely disappointed to learn that there are a disproportionate number of summer employees who may be related to full-time agency staff members," Chief of Staff Mark Ojakian said in a letter to Commissioner Donald DeFronzo of the Department of Administrative Services, the state's main personnel agency.

The governor "has directed me to instruct all state agencies to conduct an immediate review of current hiring practices for summer workers — a process which I would like you to coordinate and oversee," Ojakian wrote.

The governor's directive is the second response this week by a government official to disclosures in two recent Government Watch columns in The Courant. On Monday, state Sen. John Fonfara, D-Hartford, criticized state agencies' summer hiring practices and failure to make jobs available to the urban teenagers who might benefit most.

Fonfara said the state should consider a random summer-job lottery, such as the one New York City uses, to avoid favoritism and nepotism.

Three of the Department of Economic and Community Development's 17 summer jobs went to young relatives of agency officials. One official sat in on the job interview of her own daughter. Although seven of DECD's jobs are in Hartford offices, none went to a young person from Hartford.

At the state Department of Transportation, meanwhile, 29 of the 56 summer workers have the same last name as a full-time DOT worker or official.

In asking DeFronzo to oversee the statewide review of agencies' summer jobs, Ojakian said that in the end, "the Governor would like you to formulate a transparent, inclusive policy for the hiring of these positions which can be applied across all state agencies." He said he wants a draft of that policy by the end of August.

"In formulating that policy, I would encourage you to consult with community leaders who would have valuable insight into how best to reach young men and women that may be interested in applying to these positions, but who may not have sufficient access to such opportunities," Ojakian wrote.

"It should go without saying that the hiring of any state employee must be based on their qualifications and ability to perform the duties of the job, and that we must ensure equal access to these positions across various geographic and demographic populations within the state," Ojakian wrote, "While no one should be denied a summer position simply due to their relationship with an existing state employee, neither should they be given any preference because of it."

Many of the summer jobs pay well. At the highway "Welcome Centers" maintained by the DECD, the pay is $12 an hour and $14 an hour — either $960 or $1,120 every two weeks. The jobs can last from May to November, and records show that last year one DECD employee's son was paid $12,376 in a seasonal job. Now 20 years old, he is back on the state payroll again this summer at $14 an hour.

The DECD jobs were not advertised. The department says it recruited a number of candidates at three college job fairs — in Danbury, New London and Fairfield. Fonfara, however, pointed out that the department didn't put the word out at Capitol Community College in downtown Hartford.

The DOT says it posted its jobs on an internal state website, and sent the job listings to the Department of Labor for distribution to its job centers.